Emerald Isle Academy of Irish Dance prepares for St. Patrick's Day Parade
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade returns this Sunday! One of the best parts of the event is the incredible performances from the Irish dance schools.
The rhythm, the precision, the dedication to dance.
"It's heritage, it's culture. It's tradition. It's fun. It's so many different things, and it's a sport. It's an art," Emerald Isle Academy of Irish Dance owner Kate O'Brien Marshall said. "There's so much to it that makes it dynamic and great to do whether you're Irish or not. I have a lot of students who aren't Irish but they love Irish dance."
Students at the Emerald Isle Academy of Irish Dance are hard at work practicing for the Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade.
"The parade is pretty much the highlight of our year. It's our favorite performance that we do for sure," O'Brien said.
O'Brien Marshall owns the dance school which will celebrate its 15th year this spring. The school has been taking part in the parade for more than a decade.
Nineteen-year-old dancer Carly Gilbert said, "You're with everyone and everyone has a good time."
"A lot of hours of training and practicing and perfecting go into our routines. So although it might look easy on the day, it has taken a lot of hard work to get to that point," 16-year-old Maria Sooy said.
In addition to preparing for that march down Market Street, four of O'Brien's students are currently training for "Worlds," the highest level of competition in Irish dance.
"It's pretty incredible. We work so hard to get there and qualify and then we finally get to go and perform on the biggest stage we can in Irish dancing," 15-year-old Luke Sooy said.
"It's the top 1% in your age group," 12-year-old Teagan Emmer said.
Luke Sooy placed second overall in his age group last year in Belfast, Ireland. This year, his younger brother Paul also qualified for the competition in Montreal.
"I'm a little nervous but I'm really excited to finally compete at Worlds," 10-year-old Paul Sooy said.
"To see them work so hard and see the benefits of that work and the fun that comes with it and to see them on stage performing at the parade and having fun with their friends, it's definitely the best part of why I do this," O'Brien said.
Watch the video above to see Jim Donovan learn some Irish dancing steps.
You can watch the Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade live on March 12 from noon to 3 p.m. on our sister station The CW Philly. We will also re-play the parade on St. Patrick's Day at 9 a.m. on CBS3.
The parade will be hosted by Jim Donovan, Janelle Burrell and Bill Kelly.
